(May 26, 2017) Among the fathers of Homo Creatus, who as of May is officially part of the permanent exhibition of the "Museon", the Museum of Culture and Science of The Hague, are also the bioengineers of the University of Pisa . Next to the models of Homo Neanderthalensis, Homo erectus, Homo habilis and Lucy, Homo Creatus represents the ultimate step of human evolution and shows all parts of the body that can be rebuilt and regenerated thanks to the more recent bio-inspired biofabrication and 3D printing and bio-inspired techniques such as bone structures, cartilages, or vascular ducts. Developing it has been a pool of twenty European research institutes selected by the Dutch Ministry of Culture and Science, representing the industry's excellence. And among them the Biofabrication group led by Professor Giovanni Vozzi of the Research Center "E. Piaggio" of the University of Pisa who has realized and donated the ribs in biocompatible resin. "I must admit that initially the Museon's request to participate in the creation of Homo Creatus - tells Giovanni Vozzi - left me a little in disarray. In fact, to be able to convey to the public the sense of human evolution and science applied to human health simply by displaying anatomical parts reconstructed three-dimensionally with similar biocompatible materials, it seemed to me difficult to read to an audience not always keen on new scientific discoveries ". The choice agreed upon with the European partners was therefore to realize next to Homo Creatus a real interactive path to show the great work behind the realization of every single prosthesis but also all the limits of current biomedical technologies. Thanks to the touch-screen, visitors can touch the various parts of the body that are reproducible, see how the prostheses are made and even print some of them in 3D. (Red)

ABOUT / BIOFABRICATION

"For me and my group, it was exciting to take part in this project because we have tried to make our research and experimentation easier", Vozzi said. "The Piaggio University Center is one of the Few in Italy carrying out research in Biofabrication and I can also say with certainty that it was also the first to pave the way for this new branch of research, since in 2010 I was the only Italian researcher to actively participate as a founding member at the establishment of the International Society for Biofabrication. "